The present invention relates to a fuel combuster, and more particularly to a torch tip.
Combustion chambers for burning premixed fuels with air have various applications, but generally require the mixing of the fuel with an oxygen source such as air, igniting the mixture, and burning the mixture. One such application is in self-contained portable torches, which use pressurized gas tanks as the fuel source. The fuel is mixed with ambient air and flows through a jet ejector or nozzle. Numerous attempts have been made to provide a torch tip which produces an even flame, which is easy to light, which will operate under any pressure, and which will not overheat. To that end, U.S. Pat. No. 4,732,559, assigned to the instant assignee and the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference, discloses a combustion device for generating a linear flame. The device includes means for combining a fuel gas and a combustion supporting gas, and means for stalling the combined fuel gas and combustion supporting gas when the combined gases are moving either at a low velocity or a high velocity.
Another fuel combuster is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,013,395. That device uses a vortex generator as a flame holder, which results in a swirling flame.
None of the prior art devices, however, is designed to provide easy, quick automatic lighting of the torch tip regardless of the position of the tip on the regulator.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a combustion device so configured that it can be operated (e.g., ignited) from any position, regardless of how the tip is attached to the fuel source.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a combustion device having automatically lighting means that is enclosed and thereby protected from outside contaminants.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent upon reference to the following description, drawings and claims.